Furnace Maintenance

Furnace Maintenance

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The best thing you can do to help keep your furnace running properly is to change your filter every month. The second thing to do is call All Climate Mechanical to service your furnace with a yearly cleaning and inspection.

Combustion efficiency is a measurement of how well the fuel being burned is being utilized in the combustion process. This is different from the efficiency number produced on the analyzer, which is reflective of the total amount of heat available from the fuel minus the losses from the gasses going up the stack. Stack loss is a measure of the heat carried away by dry flue gases and the moisture loss. It is a good indicator of appliance efficiency. The stack temperature is the temperature of the combustion gases (dry and water vapor) leaving the appliance, and reflects the energy that did not transfer from the fuel to the heat exchanger. The lower the stack temperature, the more effective the heat exchanger design or heat transfer and the higher the fuel-to-air/water/steam efficiency is. The combustion efficiency calculation considers both the stack temperature and the net heat and moisture losses. This would include losses from dry gas plus losses from the moisture and losses from the production of CO.

The Dangers of Carbon Monoxide

Have you done all you can to protect your family, employees or tenants? Carbon monoxide detectors are a great start, but they will only alert you when there is a problem – they will not prevent the problem from occurring or fix it once it happens. Proper maintenance and cleaning of your gas fueled appliances and equipment is crucial to the prevention of carbon monoxide exposure.

A combustion analysis is the best way to determine if your furnace is running properly. Having this analysis performed in conjunction with a furnace tune up may even qualify you for a rebate from your natural gas provider. CenterPoint Energy will pay a rebate every other year for a furnace tune-up.

What to Look For

The following danger signs may indicate a greater risk for carbon monoxide

A gas flame that is burning yellow or orange. (All gas flames should burn BLUE)

Corrosion around exhaust vent pipes.

Improper ventilation

Sooty stains on or above appliances

Blocked chimney or flue

Symptoms of Carbon Monoxide Exposure

Unexplained tiredness and drowsiness

Headaches that improve when you are away from your residence

Dizziness

Chest Pains

Nausea

If you are experiencing these symptoms, seek medical attention immediately.

Carbon monoxide: Code often allows 400 parts per million (ppm). But to be safe you would not want to see any more than 150 ppm. A reading above 150 ppm would be a red flag to double-check the combustion. High levels of carbon monoxide suggest that there is not enough oxygen for the amount of fuel being burned. Or, conversely, there is too much fuel for the amount of oxygen. High carbon monoxide levels also indicate that there is not complete combustion and that fuel is being wasted.

Depending upon the appliance, you can generally adjust air, fuel or both. If you find high levels of carbon monoxide, either increase the oxygen or decrease the fuel until you find safe carbon monoxide measurements in the flue.